JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
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FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
California wildfire burns 1,200 acres northwest of Los Angeles, closes highway-Reuters By Patrick T. Fallon-dec 26,15-yahoonews
VENTURA, Calif (Reuters) - A wildfire northwest of Los Angeles burned about 1,200 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said.More than 600 firefighters battled the blaze in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County, and parts of U.S. Highway 101 were closed, county fire department officials told a news conference.No injuries have been reported, fire officials said. No structures have been damaged by the fire, but nearby Union Pacific rail lines were closed for a period and the fire is a threat to oil, gas and power lines.The highway, a major roadway in the region, may reopen in the afternoon, fire and police officials said."Even if we do open up the roadways, it's still not a contained fire," Ventura County Fire Department Chief Norm Plott told reporters. "It's a very dynamic fire. We're not quite out of the woods yet."As of 1 p.m. local time, the highway was still closed, but officials said it may be reopen soon. Traffic on a nearby state highway was bumper-to-bumper and moving slowly, a Reuters witness reported.The fire is less than 10 percent contained and it will take at least three days to get it under control, fire officials said. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.Helicopters and fixed-wing tankers were helping to battle the blaze with water drops.Fire officials had earlier reported that parts of the Pacific Coast highway also were closed, but a fire department spokeswoman said only a portion that overlaps the 101 was closed. Ventura is about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles.The fire started at around 11 p.m. local time on Friday near Ventura, and strong winds as high as 50 miles per hour and dry vegetation caused it to grow rapidly, fire officials said.At around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday in a video posted on Facebook, Venture County Fire Department Captain Steve Kaufman said the fire was near the beach, "bumping up against the roadway. We're getting a bunch of embers in Solimar east."The Solimar Beach community, with 50 to 60 homes, and a nearby campground were under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary one had been issued for the nearby Faria Beach community, where there are 30 to 40 homes, fire officials said.(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Pravin Char, Hugh Lawson and Dan Grebler)
California wildfire closes popular coastal highway-Associated Press-dec 26,15-yahoonews
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A wind-whipped wildfire closed a major coastal highway in Southern California and forced dozens of homes to be evacuated, authorities said Saturday. No injuries or damages were reported.The fire began late Friday northwest of the city of Ventura and immediately reached Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the 101. It is a major route connecting Northern and Southern California.The fire, fueled by dry timber and winds that reached 50 mph, closed Pacific Coast Highway in both directions on a roughly 15-mile northwest between state highways 150 and 33, forcing holiday motorists to narrow backcountry roads."We had multiple motorists stranded with the flames impinging on the highway," said Ventura County Fire Battalion Chief Fred Burris. "We had motorists making U-turns going opposing directions on the freeway with other motorists, not realizing the situation."The fire spread to more than 1,200 acres and was about 10 percent contained Saturday morning, said Tom Kruschke, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. Steep canyons and winds that quickly changed directions were the biggest obstacles for about 600 firefighters who attacked the blaze on the ground and from the air.About 60 homes in the Solimar Beach community were under mandatory evacuation orders and about 30 homes were put under voluntary evacuation orders, Kruschke said.The cause of the fire was under investigation.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Eight killed in Dallas area amid tornadoes, flooding-Reuters By Lisa Maria Garza-dec 27,15-yahoonews
DALLAS (Reuters) - Eight people died in the greater Dallas area as a storm system brought tornadoes and flooding on Saturday, increasing the death toll from harsh weather in the southern United States this week to 26, according to officials and local media.Authorities in Garland confirmed that five people died after a tornado struck the city, some 15 miles (24 km) northeast of downtown Dallas. Homes, apartments and vehicles were also damaged, police said, but it was not clear how many people were hurt.The five deaths were believed to have been related to vehicles having been struck by a tornado near State Highway 190 and Interstate 30.Two other people were found dead at a gas station in the city of Copeville, another 20 miles (32 km) to the northeast, said Lt. Chris Havey, spokesman for the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, and an infant had died in Blue Ridge.The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes hit multiple cities in the greater Dallas area on Saturday evening, and there were reports of widespread damage and flooding.NWS meteorologist Steve Fano said roughly eight tornadoes may have touched down across seven counties, though preliminary reports could not be confirmed.The Weather Service said at least one tornado struck south of Dallas in Ellis County, where Emergency Management Coordinator Stephanie Parker said: "We have destroyed and damaged homes."Weather officials also confirmed tornadoes hitting the towns of Ovilla, Farmersville and Rowlett. Images uploaded to social media showed a massive tornado near Rowlett, as well as devastated houses and vehicles.The Weather Service said there were reports of debris falling from the sky onto a highway in nearby DeSoto. Fano said that while the tornado threat had dissipated for the region, flash flood watches would extend through the night.Power was out for some 30,000 customers in the region as of Saturday night, according to energy company Oncor.-MORE BODIES IN MISSISSIPPI-Officials in Benton County, Mississippi, on Saturday found the bodies of a man and woman who were missing since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.The tornado damaged 403 homes over a seven-county area in the state, Flynn said. In addition, flooding left 50 homes uninhabitable and closed 40 roads in Monroe County, which got 10 to 12 inches (about 25 to 30 cm) of rain, he said.The tornadoes also killed six people in Tennessee and one each in Arkansas and Alabama, bringing the three- state total to 18.State authorities told local broadcaster WTVY that they had recovered the body of a 5-year-old boy who drowned when the car he was in was swept into floodwaters on Friday. A 22-year-old man who was in the car remains missing, the station said.U.S. post-holiday travelers can expect a mix of stormy weather during the remainder of the weekend, with blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas and flooding rain in the southern plains from south Texas through Indiana, forecasters said.In California, high winds fanned a wildfire that closed parts of the much-traveled U.S. Highway 101 northwest of Los Angeles and forced evacuations, fire officials said.The wet and snowy conditions come after a Christmas Day of unseasonable warmth on the East Coast, with record-high temperatures set or tied in several cities, including New York.(Editing by Chris Michaud and Jacqueline Wong)
Death toll at least 7 in Texas storms that spawned tornadoes-Associated Press By SETH ROBBINS and NOMAAN MERCHANT-dec 27,15-yahoonews
DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes swept through the Dallas area after dark on Saturday leaving substantial damage and at least seven people dead either from the storm or related traffic accidents, in the latest of a succession of freakish winter weather events across the country.The Texas tornadoes followed days of tumultuous weather in the Southeast including unusual winter tornadoes that left 18 people dead there over the Christmas holiday period.National Weather Service Meteorologist Anthony Bain in Fort Worth said several tornadoes touched down in the Dallas area, although the full extent of damage would not be known until daylight Sunday.The storms left homes had roofs blown away, vehicles mangled or turned upside down, churches damaged, power lines down, natural gas lines burst, trees toppled and debris strewn across neighborhoods. The damage stretched over about a 40-mile-long area from 20 miles south of Dallas to northeast of the city.Joe Harn, police spokesman for Garland, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas, said four people were killed in vehicle accidents during the massive storm, but it's unclear if all four were in the same vehicle or how they died.Three other people died in Collin County, about 45 miles northeast of Dallas, according to sheriff's deputy Chris Havey, although the circumstances were not immediately clear.In the town of Rowlett near Garland, police spokesman Det. Cruz Hernandez said several people were injured although the exact number was known. Two families were barricaded in their homes, he said."As of right now, we are still in the search and rescue mode. We still have some homes that have been demolished and not everyone in the homes has been accounted for," Hernandez said.Residents were being kept out of part of east Rowlett and heavy equipment was brought in to move debris from homes where people may be trapped inside.The Red Cross said it was setting up shelters for people whose homes were damaged by the storm."I think everyone understands now the gravity of what happened," Anita Foster, spokeswoman for American Red Cross of North Texas, said on WFAA television.The twisters — accompanied by torrential rain, wind and some hail — were part of a weather system that could produce major flooding from north Texas through eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, western Arkansas and parts of Missouri.Passengers waiting for flights at Love Field, a major Dallas airport, were moved away from windows during the storm. Flights were temporarily halted from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Dallas Mavericks NBA game was delayed about half an hour because of the storm.On the other side of Texas, a snowstorm accompanied by plunging temperatures, was expected to leave up to 16 inches of snow in West Texas and much of New Mexico through Sunday evening, according to NWS meteorologist Brendon Rubin-Oster in College Park, Maryland."It's going to be quite dangerous for anyone exposed to these elements," Rubin-Oster said.Snow fell as the Sun Bowl college football game between Miami and Washington State Saturday afternoon in the Mexican border city of in El Paso, which is forecast to get 6 to 8 inches of snow from the storm.In the Southeast, two more deaths linked to weather were reported Saturday in Mississippi, bringing that state's death toll from severe weather over Christmas to 10. Late Saturday, one death was reported in Alabama. Flash flooding closed roads across Alabama and trapped motorists in rapidly rising waters.Ranager Tyler and his son waded into flood water Christmas night and used rope to pull an 11-year-old boy out after his family's car was swept away near Pinson, about 15 miles northeast of Birmingham."The little boy was hanging on to the back of the car," Tyler said Saturday.The family's car was overcome with flood water and ended up in a ditch near Tyler's Pinson home. The rushing water separated the family as they got out of the car, he said. The boy was later reunited with his family.Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said 56 injuries were reported. In a statement, Flynn said preliminary damage estimates show 241 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.More than 400 homes in total were affected, he said. Severe storms are forecast for Sunday night through Monday as a strong cold front pushes through. Tornadoes are possible, and residents are asked to remain alert.The flooding is the result of heavy downpours that have thrashed the southeastern U.S. since Wednesday, bringing record rainfalls in some areas. Four inches of rain walloped the city of Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday — smashing the previous record of 2.2 inches set in 1990.Six people were killed in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek, according to the Columbia Police Department. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday that authorities were monitoring areas for possible flooding.One person died in Arkansas, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.Better weather was forecast for the Southeast. Temperatures in the eastern third of the country could set numerous records highs Sunday, Rubin-Oster said. Washington, D.C., could see a record daily temperature of 73 degrees, New York City 65 —which would break a record of more than 50 years —and Orlando, Florida could tie a record of 86 degrees set in 1921.___Contributing to this report are Associated Press writers Maud Beelman in Dallas, Chevel Johnson in New Orleans, Jonathan Landrum in Atlanta, and Dylan Lovan in Louisville. Chandler reported from Montgomery.
Tornado death toll reaches 17 in U.S., more stormy weather looms-Reuters-DEC 26,15-YAHOO NEWS
(Reuters) - The death toll from tornadoes this week in the southern United States has climbed by two to 17, officials said on Saturday, as the nation braced for more stormy weather during the busy post-holiday travel weekend.The bodies of a man and a woman missing in Benton County, Mississippi, since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, were found by search and rescue teams on Saturday morning, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.The tornado destroyed or damaged 403 homes over a seven-county area, Flynn said. In addition, flooding left 50 homes uninhabitable and closed 40 roads in Monroe County, which got 10 to 12 inches (about 25 to 30 cm) of rain, he said.The tornadoes also killed six people in Tennessee and one other in Arkansas, bringing the three-state total to 17. A twister in Birmingham, Alabama, late on Friday afternoon damaged several homes, uprooted trees and caused a handful of minor injuries, police and weather officials reported.Alabama and Mississippi will get another round of rain on Monday night, said Evan Duffey, meteorologist for AccuWeather.In California, high winds on Saturday fanned a wildfire that closed parts of the much-traveled Highway 101 outside Los Angeles and forced evacuations, fire officials said.Meanwhile, U.S. post-holiday travelers can expect a mix of stormy weather this weekend, with blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas, while flooding rain hits the southern plains from south Texas through Indiana, forecasters said on Saturday.The wet and snowy conditions come after a Christmas Day of unseasonable warmth on the East Coast, with record high temperatures set or tied in several cities including New York."It's going to be a pretty active weekend as far as winter weather," Duffey said. "It looks like it's going to be pretty bad across the southwest into the southern plains."Duffey said that given the blizzard conditions expected for Saturday, anyone hoping to travel in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas "should try to get going as soon as you can" to beat the storm.Those with flights through Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis and New Orleans should expect delays, according to AccuWeather.(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Kevin Murphy; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Bill Rigby)
Over 100,000 flee flooding in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay-Reuters By Mariel Cristaldo and Sarah Marsh-dec 26,15-yahoonews
ASUNCION/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in the bordering areas of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy summer rains brought on by El Niño, authorities said on Saturday.In the worse affected country, Paraguay, around 90,000 people in the area around the capital city of Asuncion have been evacuated, the municipal Emergencies Office said. Many are poor families living in precarious housing along the banks of the River Paraguay.The Paraguayan government has declared a state of emergency in Asuncion and seven regions of the country to free up funds to help those affected. Several people have been killed by trees falling in the storms that caused the flooding, local media reported. There was no official death toll yet.In Alberdi, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Asuncion, the government recommended that several thousand more people living along the banks of the River Paraguay evacuate."(The flooding) was directly influenced by the El Niño phenomenon which has intensified the frequency and intensity of rains," the national Emergencies Office said.This year's "El Nino," which sparks global climate extremes, is the worst in more than 15 years, the U.N. weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said last month."Severe droughts and devastating flooding being experienced throughout the tropics and sub-tropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Nino, which is the strongest in more than 15 years," WMO chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement. Officials at Paraguay's Emergencies Office said the river might rise even more in the coming days, stabilizing and falling back toward normal levels from January onwards.-BAD INFRASTRUCTURE-In northern Argentina, around 20,000 people have also had to abandon their homes, the government said on Saturday."We are going to have a few complicated months, the consequences will be serious," said Ricardo Colombi, the governor of the Corrientes region, after flying over the worst affected areas with national Cabinet Chief Marcos Pena.Pena said national government aid was already on its way and the new president, Mauricio Macri, who took office earlier this month, intended to make improving infrastructure a priority so that such flooding did not occur again."Argentina has a very big lack of infrastructure," he said. Macri will visit the flooded areas on Sunday.In Uruguay, more than 9,000 people have had to flee their homes, according to the national Emergencies Office, which added that it expected water levels to remain at their current level for several days before subsiding.At least four people have died in Argentina and Uruguay due to the storms and floods, according to local media reports. One was reported to have drowned while another was electrocuted by a fallen power cable.Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff also flew over the flooded areas on the border with Argentina and Uruguay on Saturday morning. Rio Grande do Sul state Civil Defense said 1,795 people were left homeless there after 38 towns were affected by heavy rains.(Additional reporting by Matias Larramendi in Montevideo and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Floods hit parts of England as government scrambles to respond-AFP-dec 26,15-yahoonews
London (AFP) - Heavy rains triggered floods in parts of northern England on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and the deployment of army personnel to shore up overwhelmed defences.Lancashire in northwest England and Yorkshire in the northeast were the worst affected, with environment officials issuing more than 300 alerts in those areas, including 31 warnings of possible deadly floods.The Met Office national weather service issued its most serious "red warning", which calls on those in areas at risk to take action.Around 10,000 homes in the region were without power after a substation was damaged, and many elderly and other vulnerable people were rescued from inundated homes by lifeboat.In some areas water reached the lower windows of houses and shops, turning high streets into muddy waterways, and cars were abandoned after narrow country lanes turned into fast-flowing streams. Underscoring the severity of the deluge, Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit the flood-hit region on Monday after chairing an emergency government COBRA committee meeting on Sunday.An emergency meeting had also been held on Christmas Day."My thoughts are with people whose homes have been flooded. I'll chair a COBRA call tomorrow to ensure everything is being done to help," Cameron tweeted.Officials are under pressure after similar flooding earlier this month in northwest England.The floods in Cumbria caused damage estimated at hundreds of millions of pounds and turned many towns and villages into swamps, prompting angry accusations that the government had failed to spend enough on flood defences.
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FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
California wildfire burns 1,200 acres northwest of Los Angeles, closes highway-Reuters By Patrick T. Fallon-dec 26,15-yahoonews
VENTURA, Calif (Reuters) - A wildfire northwest of Los Angeles burned about 1,200 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said.More than 600 firefighters battled the blaze in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County, and parts of U.S. Highway 101 were closed, county fire department officials told a news conference.No injuries have been reported, fire officials said. No structures have been damaged by the fire, but nearby Union Pacific rail lines were closed for a period and the fire is a threat to oil, gas and power lines.The highway, a major roadway in the region, may reopen in the afternoon, fire and police officials said."Even if we do open up the roadways, it's still not a contained fire," Ventura County Fire Department Chief Norm Plott told reporters. "It's a very dynamic fire. We're not quite out of the woods yet."As of 1 p.m. local time, the highway was still closed, but officials said it may be reopen soon. Traffic on a nearby state highway was bumper-to-bumper and moving slowly, a Reuters witness reported.The fire is less than 10 percent contained and it will take at least three days to get it under control, fire officials said. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.Helicopters and fixed-wing tankers were helping to battle the blaze with water drops.Fire officials had earlier reported that parts of the Pacific Coast highway also were closed, but a fire department spokeswoman said only a portion that overlaps the 101 was closed. Ventura is about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles.The fire started at around 11 p.m. local time on Friday near Ventura, and strong winds as high as 50 miles per hour and dry vegetation caused it to grow rapidly, fire officials said.At around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday in a video posted on Facebook, Venture County Fire Department Captain Steve Kaufman said the fire was near the beach, "bumping up against the roadway. We're getting a bunch of embers in Solimar east."The Solimar Beach community, with 50 to 60 homes, and a nearby campground were under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary one had been issued for the nearby Faria Beach community, where there are 30 to 40 homes, fire officials said.(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Pravin Char, Hugh Lawson and Dan Grebler)
California wildfire closes popular coastal highway-Associated Press-dec 26,15-yahoonews
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A wind-whipped wildfire closed a major coastal highway in Southern California and forced dozens of homes to be evacuated, authorities said Saturday. No injuries or damages were reported.The fire began late Friday northwest of the city of Ventura and immediately reached Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the 101. It is a major route connecting Northern and Southern California.The fire, fueled by dry timber and winds that reached 50 mph, closed Pacific Coast Highway in both directions on a roughly 15-mile northwest between state highways 150 and 33, forcing holiday motorists to narrow backcountry roads."We had multiple motorists stranded with the flames impinging on the highway," said Ventura County Fire Battalion Chief Fred Burris. "We had motorists making U-turns going opposing directions on the freeway with other motorists, not realizing the situation."The fire spread to more than 1,200 acres and was about 10 percent contained Saturday morning, said Tom Kruschke, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. Steep canyons and winds that quickly changed directions were the biggest obstacles for about 600 firefighters who attacked the blaze on the ground and from the air.About 60 homes in the Solimar Beach community were under mandatory evacuation orders and about 30 homes were put under voluntary evacuation orders, Kruschke said.The cause of the fire was under investigation.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Eight killed in Dallas area amid tornadoes, flooding-Reuters By Lisa Maria Garza-dec 27,15-yahoonews
DALLAS (Reuters) - Eight people died in the greater Dallas area as a storm system brought tornadoes and flooding on Saturday, increasing the death toll from harsh weather in the southern United States this week to 26, according to officials and local media.Authorities in Garland confirmed that five people died after a tornado struck the city, some 15 miles (24 km) northeast of downtown Dallas. Homes, apartments and vehicles were also damaged, police said, but it was not clear how many people were hurt.The five deaths were believed to have been related to vehicles having been struck by a tornado near State Highway 190 and Interstate 30.Two other people were found dead at a gas station in the city of Copeville, another 20 miles (32 km) to the northeast, said Lt. Chris Havey, spokesman for the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, and an infant had died in Blue Ridge.The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes hit multiple cities in the greater Dallas area on Saturday evening, and there were reports of widespread damage and flooding.NWS meteorologist Steve Fano said roughly eight tornadoes may have touched down across seven counties, though preliminary reports could not be confirmed.The Weather Service said at least one tornado struck south of Dallas in Ellis County, where Emergency Management Coordinator Stephanie Parker said: "We have destroyed and damaged homes."Weather officials also confirmed tornadoes hitting the towns of Ovilla, Farmersville and Rowlett. Images uploaded to social media showed a massive tornado near Rowlett, as well as devastated houses and vehicles.The Weather Service said there were reports of debris falling from the sky onto a highway in nearby DeSoto. Fano said that while the tornado threat had dissipated for the region, flash flood watches would extend through the night.Power was out for some 30,000 customers in the region as of Saturday night, according to energy company Oncor.-MORE BODIES IN MISSISSIPPI-Officials in Benton County, Mississippi, on Saturday found the bodies of a man and woman who were missing since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.The tornado damaged 403 homes over a seven-county area in the state, Flynn said. In addition, flooding left 50 homes uninhabitable and closed 40 roads in Monroe County, which got 10 to 12 inches (about 25 to 30 cm) of rain, he said.The tornadoes also killed six people in Tennessee and one each in Arkansas and Alabama, bringing the three- state total to 18.State authorities told local broadcaster WTVY that they had recovered the body of a 5-year-old boy who drowned when the car he was in was swept into floodwaters on Friday. A 22-year-old man who was in the car remains missing, the station said.U.S. post-holiday travelers can expect a mix of stormy weather during the remainder of the weekend, with blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas and flooding rain in the southern plains from south Texas through Indiana, forecasters said.In California, high winds fanned a wildfire that closed parts of the much-traveled U.S. Highway 101 northwest of Los Angeles and forced evacuations, fire officials said.The wet and snowy conditions come after a Christmas Day of unseasonable warmth on the East Coast, with record-high temperatures set or tied in several cities, including New York.(Editing by Chris Michaud and Jacqueline Wong)
Death toll at least 7 in Texas storms that spawned tornadoes-Associated Press By SETH ROBBINS and NOMAAN MERCHANT-dec 27,15-yahoonews
DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes swept through the Dallas area after dark on Saturday leaving substantial damage and at least seven people dead either from the storm or related traffic accidents, in the latest of a succession of freakish winter weather events across the country.The Texas tornadoes followed days of tumultuous weather in the Southeast including unusual winter tornadoes that left 18 people dead there over the Christmas holiday period.National Weather Service Meteorologist Anthony Bain in Fort Worth said several tornadoes touched down in the Dallas area, although the full extent of damage would not be known until daylight Sunday.The storms left homes had roofs blown away, vehicles mangled or turned upside down, churches damaged, power lines down, natural gas lines burst, trees toppled and debris strewn across neighborhoods. The damage stretched over about a 40-mile-long area from 20 miles south of Dallas to northeast of the city.Joe Harn, police spokesman for Garland, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas, said four people were killed in vehicle accidents during the massive storm, but it's unclear if all four were in the same vehicle or how they died.Three other people died in Collin County, about 45 miles northeast of Dallas, according to sheriff's deputy Chris Havey, although the circumstances were not immediately clear.In the town of Rowlett near Garland, police spokesman Det. Cruz Hernandez said several people were injured although the exact number was known. Two families were barricaded in their homes, he said."As of right now, we are still in the search and rescue mode. We still have some homes that have been demolished and not everyone in the homes has been accounted for," Hernandez said.Residents were being kept out of part of east Rowlett and heavy equipment was brought in to move debris from homes where people may be trapped inside.The Red Cross said it was setting up shelters for people whose homes were damaged by the storm."I think everyone understands now the gravity of what happened," Anita Foster, spokeswoman for American Red Cross of North Texas, said on WFAA television.The twisters — accompanied by torrential rain, wind and some hail — were part of a weather system that could produce major flooding from north Texas through eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, western Arkansas and parts of Missouri.Passengers waiting for flights at Love Field, a major Dallas airport, were moved away from windows during the storm. Flights were temporarily halted from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Dallas Mavericks NBA game was delayed about half an hour because of the storm.On the other side of Texas, a snowstorm accompanied by plunging temperatures, was expected to leave up to 16 inches of snow in West Texas and much of New Mexico through Sunday evening, according to NWS meteorologist Brendon Rubin-Oster in College Park, Maryland."It's going to be quite dangerous for anyone exposed to these elements," Rubin-Oster said.Snow fell as the Sun Bowl college football game between Miami and Washington State Saturday afternoon in the Mexican border city of in El Paso, which is forecast to get 6 to 8 inches of snow from the storm.In the Southeast, two more deaths linked to weather were reported Saturday in Mississippi, bringing that state's death toll from severe weather over Christmas to 10. Late Saturday, one death was reported in Alabama. Flash flooding closed roads across Alabama and trapped motorists in rapidly rising waters.Ranager Tyler and his son waded into flood water Christmas night and used rope to pull an 11-year-old boy out after his family's car was swept away near Pinson, about 15 miles northeast of Birmingham."The little boy was hanging on to the back of the car," Tyler said Saturday.The family's car was overcome with flood water and ended up in a ditch near Tyler's Pinson home. The rushing water separated the family as they got out of the car, he said. The boy was later reunited with his family.Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said 56 injuries were reported. In a statement, Flynn said preliminary damage estimates show 241 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.More than 400 homes in total were affected, he said. Severe storms are forecast for Sunday night through Monday as a strong cold front pushes through. Tornadoes are possible, and residents are asked to remain alert.The flooding is the result of heavy downpours that have thrashed the southeastern U.S. since Wednesday, bringing record rainfalls in some areas. Four inches of rain walloped the city of Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday — smashing the previous record of 2.2 inches set in 1990.Six people were killed in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek, according to the Columbia Police Department. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday that authorities were monitoring areas for possible flooding.One person died in Arkansas, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.Better weather was forecast for the Southeast. Temperatures in the eastern third of the country could set numerous records highs Sunday, Rubin-Oster said. Washington, D.C., could see a record daily temperature of 73 degrees, New York City 65 —which would break a record of more than 50 years —and Orlando, Florida could tie a record of 86 degrees set in 1921.___Contributing to this report are Associated Press writers Maud Beelman in Dallas, Chevel Johnson in New Orleans, Jonathan Landrum in Atlanta, and Dylan Lovan in Louisville. Chandler reported from Montgomery.
Tornado death toll reaches 17 in U.S., more stormy weather looms-Reuters-DEC 26,15-YAHOO NEWS
(Reuters) - The death toll from tornadoes this week in the southern United States has climbed by two to 17, officials said on Saturday, as the nation braced for more stormy weather during the busy post-holiday travel weekend.The bodies of a man and a woman missing in Benton County, Mississippi, since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, were found by search and rescue teams on Saturday morning, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.The tornado destroyed or damaged 403 homes over a seven-county area, Flynn said. In addition, flooding left 50 homes uninhabitable and closed 40 roads in Monroe County, which got 10 to 12 inches (about 25 to 30 cm) of rain, he said.The tornadoes also killed six people in Tennessee and one other in Arkansas, bringing the three-state total to 17. A twister in Birmingham, Alabama, late on Friday afternoon damaged several homes, uprooted trees and caused a handful of minor injuries, police and weather officials reported.Alabama and Mississippi will get another round of rain on Monday night, said Evan Duffey, meteorologist for AccuWeather.In California, high winds on Saturday fanned a wildfire that closed parts of the much-traveled Highway 101 outside Los Angeles and forced evacuations, fire officials said.Meanwhile, U.S. post-holiday travelers can expect a mix of stormy weather this weekend, with blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas, while flooding rain hits the southern plains from south Texas through Indiana, forecasters said on Saturday.The wet and snowy conditions come after a Christmas Day of unseasonable warmth on the East Coast, with record high temperatures set or tied in several cities including New York."It's going to be a pretty active weekend as far as winter weather," Duffey said. "It looks like it's going to be pretty bad across the southwest into the southern plains."Duffey said that given the blizzard conditions expected for Saturday, anyone hoping to travel in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas "should try to get going as soon as you can" to beat the storm.Those with flights through Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis and New Orleans should expect delays, according to AccuWeather.(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Kevin Murphy; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Bill Rigby)
Over 100,000 flee flooding in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay-Reuters By Mariel Cristaldo and Sarah Marsh-dec 26,15-yahoonews
ASUNCION/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in the bordering areas of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy summer rains brought on by El Niño, authorities said on Saturday.In the worse affected country, Paraguay, around 90,000 people in the area around the capital city of Asuncion have been evacuated, the municipal Emergencies Office said. Many are poor families living in precarious housing along the banks of the River Paraguay.The Paraguayan government has declared a state of emergency in Asuncion and seven regions of the country to free up funds to help those affected. Several people have been killed by trees falling in the storms that caused the flooding, local media reported. There was no official death toll yet.In Alberdi, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Asuncion, the government recommended that several thousand more people living along the banks of the River Paraguay evacuate."(The flooding) was directly influenced by the El Niño phenomenon which has intensified the frequency and intensity of rains," the national Emergencies Office said.This year's "El Nino," which sparks global climate extremes, is the worst in more than 15 years, the U.N. weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said last month."Severe droughts and devastating flooding being experienced throughout the tropics and sub-tropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Nino, which is the strongest in more than 15 years," WMO chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement. Officials at Paraguay's Emergencies Office said the river might rise even more in the coming days, stabilizing and falling back toward normal levels from January onwards.-BAD INFRASTRUCTURE-In northern Argentina, around 20,000 people have also had to abandon their homes, the government said on Saturday."We are going to have a few complicated months, the consequences will be serious," said Ricardo Colombi, the governor of the Corrientes region, after flying over the worst affected areas with national Cabinet Chief Marcos Pena.Pena said national government aid was already on its way and the new president, Mauricio Macri, who took office earlier this month, intended to make improving infrastructure a priority so that such flooding did not occur again."Argentina has a very big lack of infrastructure," he said. Macri will visit the flooded areas on Sunday.In Uruguay, more than 9,000 people have had to flee their homes, according to the national Emergencies Office, which added that it expected water levels to remain at their current level for several days before subsiding.At least four people have died in Argentina and Uruguay due to the storms and floods, according to local media reports. One was reported to have drowned while another was electrocuted by a fallen power cable.Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff also flew over the flooded areas on the border with Argentina and Uruguay on Saturday morning. Rio Grande do Sul state Civil Defense said 1,795 people were left homeless there after 38 towns were affected by heavy rains.(Additional reporting by Matias Larramendi in Montevideo and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Floods hit parts of England as government scrambles to respond-AFP-dec 26,15-yahoonews
London (AFP) - Heavy rains triggered floods in parts of northern England on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and the deployment of army personnel to shore up overwhelmed defences.Lancashire in northwest England and Yorkshire in the northeast were the worst affected, with environment officials issuing more than 300 alerts in those areas, including 31 warnings of possible deadly floods.The Met Office national weather service issued its most serious "red warning", which calls on those in areas at risk to take action.Around 10,000 homes in the region were without power after a substation was damaged, and many elderly and other vulnerable people were rescued from inundated homes by lifeboat.In some areas water reached the lower windows of houses and shops, turning high streets into muddy waterways, and cars were abandoned after narrow country lanes turned into fast-flowing streams. Underscoring the severity of the deluge, Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit the flood-hit region on Monday after chairing an emergency government COBRA committee meeting on Sunday.An emergency meeting had also been held on Christmas Day."My thoughts are with people whose homes have been flooded. I'll chair a COBRA call tomorrow to ensure everything is being done to help," Cameron tweeted.Officials are under pressure after similar flooding earlier this month in northwest England.The floods in Cumbria caused damage estimated at hundreds of millions of pounds and turned many towns and villages into swamps, prompting angry accusations that the government had failed to spend enough on flood defences.
